Shadow Slave: Kindness

Their training had been going well.

Which meant it was going as hard as humanly possible — borderline cruel, even.

And now, somehow, it was already the day of their supposed visit to this mysterious amusement park.

Today was also the induction ceremony. A critical event. And Sunny… was on a holiday.

A holiday.

While standing at the edge of death, with the Dream Realm looming like a cliff ready to swallow them whole.

Seems like really, what.

Insane. Crazy.

No — it was insane. And it was Crazy.

Sunny sighed, adjusting the soft fabric of the new clothes he was wearing today — not by choice, of course. Avi and Cassie had made the executive decision to order clothes for him, roping in Juliet and her questionable sense of luxury fashion.

He was now dressed in a layered ensemble that felt almost too comfortable. A crisp white T-shirt lay under a fitted black sweater lined with subtle, intricate designs around the collar and cuffs. A long grey muffler was wrapped around his neck, its ends falling elegantly along his sides. The pants were a smooth white-grey blend, matched with matte black boots that fit too perfectly.

The money? That was Juliet.

Courtesy of her "amassed fortune," as she called it — though he suspected she didn't even remember herself as to how much she had.

He had tried — genuinely tried — to refuse. Had even scolded Avi for spending Juliet's money on something as trivial as his clothes. They were already dependent enough on her as it was.

That didn't go well.

Juliet had scolded him twice as hard, reminding him in no uncertain terms that her fortune gathering dust in some digital vault was better used helping friends rather than making her look like a hoarder.

Sunny, reluctantly, had conceded defeat.

Now, standing in front of the mirror, he caught his reflection and sighed again.

His pale skin contrasted sharply with the dark layers of fabric. His black hair had grown longer over the past weeks, now draping neatly across the sides of his face, giving him a lean, almost ethereal appearance. The way the muffler hugged his neck made it look like his hair was even longer than it was.

He looked like the kind of boy who should be sketching in a journal near a windowsill. Or the protagonist of some melodramatic webtoon Juliet would pretend not to read.

A "flower boy," Juliet had once teased.

Yeah.

He could already feel the teasing building.

He stepped into the side garden near the academy's main gate, where the early morning sun cast long shadows across the cobbled path. Now, he waited — hands in his pockets, head tilted to the side — for the girls to arrive.

And soon enough… they did.

Cassie was the first to appear, walking slowly but confidently, guided by the subtle pulse of her Memory charm. She wore a flowing deep blue overcoat over a white mock turtleneck sweater tucked into a pleated black skirt, paired with long boots and tights. Her blonde braid was looped into a low bun today, fastened with a golden pin that shimmered faintly under the light.

And then came Nephis. She was dolled up by Cassie and Avi.

She stepped around the bend of the path almost soundlessly, dressed as if she'd been carved out of frost and steel.

A soft grey coat hung loosely over a high-collared, off-white sweater tucked into fitted charcoal pants. Her short, silver-white hair were nowhere to be seen — instead, a full head wrap along with a white shawl was wrapped around her head. Her boots were sleek, matte black — not combat, but sharp and clean, civilian-grade, stylish but built to move. She wore no jewelry, no accessories, nothing unnecessary.

And yet, there was something in the way the wind caught the hem of her coat, or the way the light curved across her pale skin — the kind of presence that made people look twice without knowing why.

They were striking. 

Beautiful.

They both were.

Even Sunny blinked.

"…Wow," he said, without even thinking. "The both of you look good."

Cassie gave a light, satisfied smile. "Obviously we do. We spent hours, you know."

But Nephis…

Nephis had frozen. Not because of his compliment, no — though she was embarrassed.

It was a totally different reason.

And though Cassie couldn't see, she felt the silence behind her.

Nephis leaned down just slightly, her voice a faint whisper near Cassie's ear.

"…He looks different... really... uh... b-beautiful... like a doll."

Cassie's lips twitched as she tried to suppress a frown, but ended up grimacing instead.

"I really wish I could see right now," she muttered to herself.

Sunny was unable to hear this exchange of theirs because just then, the soft hum of tires on polished stone broke the moment.

A sleek, jet-black PTV — long, low, and wide — pulled into the circular path before the academy gates. It was clearly military-grade converted into luxury civilian use, with tinted windows, silent magnetic tires, and a brushed obsidian body that shimmered faintly under the rising sun.

It was too big for regular use.

Too expensive for regular students.

And too Juliet to be subtle.

The doors lifted with a soft hiss, unfolding upward in a gullwing arc, and from inside—

Juliet descended first, heels clicking against the pavement with deliberate elegance. She had changed since Sunny last saw her — now wearing a silky burgundy blouse tucked into a high-waisted pencil skirt, layered with a long white coat that flared out slightly at the hem. Her short hair had been curled into soft waves, and a gold chain gleamed faintly around her neck.

Juliet… Juliet didn't walk so much as stride like she was about to steal the spotlight.

Which she did.

Right behind her, Avi practically jumped out of the vehicle with a laugh.

Her outfit was peak chaos: dark camo cargo pants, a cropped leather jacket covered in random pins, a fitted mesh shirt under a thick tank top. Her hair was tied back in a half ponytail, her rose-pink hair glistening with starlight — clearly added for today.

"Ladies," Juliet said with a theatrical bow. "Gentleman."

Sunny just stared. "…You look like you're going to very different places."

"Exactly," Juliet replied with a smirk. "Though, you shouldn't be talking about me, should you? After all, you really look like one right now… flower boy, eh, Sunny?"

I knew it. Sunny grumbled in his mind

Avi looked up at him, and she too did a double take, going around him several times and sizing him up and down.

Avi grinned, then pointed at Sunny's muffler. "Look at you. Are you really the Sunny I know?"

Sunny sighed. "Who else would I be, gremlin?"

Cassie chuckled.

Nephis… simply looked at him for another long second, as if still trying to process something.

Sunny shook his head slowly, smiling to himself.

Yep.

This was going to be a long day.

And it hadn't even started yet.